Chapter 1-5: Introduction to Aphasia and Types

Flashcards covering core concepts from Chapters 1–5: definition and nature of aphasia, language modalities, causes, key terms (anomia, paraphasias, agrammatism, paragrammatism), and relation to other disorders (apraxia of speech, dysarthria, agnosia).

What are the two core elements in the definition of aphasia?

Neurologic (neurogenic) in origin and acquired (not congenital).

Is aphasia a problem of sensation or intellect?

No—it is an impairment of language, not sensation or intellect.

What does 'language modalities' refer to in aphasia?

The channels of language, grouped into receptive and expressive modalities, and including nonverbal communication.

Name the receptive language modalities.

Auditory comprehension and reading comprehension.

Name the expressive language modalities.

Speech (spoken language) and writing.

What is the most common cause of aphasia?

Stroke (loss of blood supply to brain tissue).

What does HTN stand for in the notes?

Hypertension (high blood pressure).

What does DM stand for, and what type is typically discussed?

Diabetes mellitus, typically insulin-dependent.

List other causes of aphasia mentioned.

Brain injury (traumatic or open head), neoplasms (tumors), neurotoxic agents (pesticides/drugs), progressive neurological diseases (e.g., dementia).

What is apraxia of speech?

Impairment in motor planning for speech (cortical level) affecting articulators.

What is dysarthria?

Impairment in the coordination, strength, and agility of the speech muscles across respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation.

What does working memory have to do with aphasia?

Language impairment can affect processing and holding/manipulating information in working memory.

What does the term 'anomia' mean?

Impairment in word finding; difficulty naming.

What are paraphasias?

Errors in expressive output (verbal or written).

Define verbal paraphasia.

Substituting one word for another (e.g., car for phone).

Define semantic paraphasia.

Word substitution related in meaning to the target word (e.g., window for door).

Define phonemic (literal) paraphasia.

Sound substitution within a word (e.g., tore for door).

What is a neologism in aphasia terms?

A newly coined word formed when many phonemes are substituted, making it unrecognizable.

What is circumlocution?

Talking around something; can be a disorder feature or a strategy to describe attributes to aid retrieval or communication.

What is logorrhea?

Excessive talking with little regard for listener input.

Differentiate agrammatism and paragrammatism.

Agrammatism = simplification/omission of function words; paragrammatism = misuse of grammar within the sentence.

What is perseveration?

Repetition or stuckness on a word/phrase; persisting beyond the need.

What is agnosia?

Inability to process sensory information due to brain processing; visual, auditory, or prosopagnosia (face recognition) types.

What is the relationship between aphasia and motor speech disorders (apraxia of speech and dysarthria)?

Aphasia is a language impairment; apraxia of speech and dysarthria are motor speech disorders that can co-occur but are separate disorders.

What is global aphasia?

A severe, widespread language impairment often characterized by extensive word substitutions and reduced language abilities.

What does 'multimodality' mean in the context of aphasia?

Aphasia often affects multiple language modalities, including spoken, written, reading, and nonverbal communication.

What traditional classifications are less used but sometimes encountered?

Posterior vs anterior aphasia and sensory vs motor aphasia; many clinicians now use fluent vs nonfluent alongside receptive vs expressive.